Queen Sofia of Spain

by Susan Flantzer

Photo Credit – The Telegraph

Note: Queen Sofia was named Sophia, the Latin version of her Greek name Σοφία. When she married, her name was changed to the Spanish variant Sofía and in English it generally is Sofia which will be used throughout this article.

Sofia is the eldest of her parents’ three children and has a younger brother, the former King Constantine II of Greece (born 1940), and a younger sister, Irene, (1942) who has never married.

Sofia in the middle with her family around 1947; Photo Credit – www.britannica.com

In April of 1941, during World War II, Germany and Italy invaded Greece and Sofia’s family was forced to flee. The family lived in Alexandria, Egypt and Cape Town, South Africa before returning to Greece in 1946. King George II of Greece, Sofia’s uncle, died childless in 1947, so Sofia’s father became King and her brother Constantine became Crown Prince.

While in Alexandria, Egypt, Sofia attended El Nasr Girls’ College. She finished her secondary education at Salem School in Salem, Germany and when she returned to Greece, she studied childcare, music. Sofia also studied at Fitzwilliam College, the University of Cambridge in England. In the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics, Sofia represented Greece as a reserve member of the sailing team. Her brother Constantine won a Gold Medal in Sailing: Mixed Three Person Keel/Dragon Class in those Olympics. Sofia is fluent in five languages: Greek, German, Spanish, French, and English.

It was on an August 1954 cruise aboard the Agamemnon, a 5,500-ton luxury liner owned by Greek line Nomikes, funded by Sofia’s father and reportedly the idea of her mother, that Sofia first met her future husband Juan Carlos of Spain. See Unofficial Royalty: Agamemnon, 1954: Cruise of the Kings. Sofia and Juan Carlos met again in 1961 when Prince Edward, Duke of Kent married.

Queen Sofia and her family in 1976; Photo Credit- http://www.casareal.es

At the time of Sofia’s marriage, Spain was ruled by the dictator General Francisco Franco and her husband had no official title or position in Spain. In 1969, General Franco recognized Juan Carlos as his successor and bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Spain. Juan Carlos became King of Spain in 1975 upon the death of General Franco.

Besides traveling in Spain and around the world on official engagements, Queen Sofia has been active in a number of charities. She is executive president of The Queen Sofia Foundation, which is involved with social and humanitarian assistance, benefiting children, the elderly, immigrants, the disabled and those affected by natural disasters.Official Website of The Queen Sofia Foundation